Reconceptualizing Mathematics

More and more, prospective elementary teachers are being asked to develop what the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) calls “the habits of a mathematical thinker.” This breakthrough text became the new standard for training future elementary math teachers by doing just that, helping them absorb the ideas underlying essential math concepts, rather than just working problems and memorizing facts. Created from extensive math education research and class-testing, the book’s innovative pedagogy, convenient format (three-hole punched, perforated pages, wide margins), and supporting technology make it the ideal text for helping today’s students become tomorrow’s teachers.

What's in the LaunchPad

Judith Sowder is a Professor Emerita of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego State University. Her research has focused on the development of number sense and on the instructional effects of teachers' mathematical knowledge at the elementary and middle school level. She served from 1996 to 2000 as editor of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education and served a three-year term on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Board of Directors. She has directed numerous projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. In 2000 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.Larry Sowder is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego State University. He taught mathematics to preservice elementary school teachers for more than 30 years. His work in a special program in San Diego elementary schools also shaped his convictions about how courses in mathematics for preservice teachers should be pitched, as did his joint research investigating how children in the usual Grades 4-8 curriculum solve "story" problems. He served on teh National Research Council Committee that published Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology(NRC, 2001).Susan Nickerson is an Associate Professor in San Diego State University's Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Her research interest is long-term professional development of elementary and middle school teachers. In particular, her focus is describing, analyzing, and understanding effective contexts that promote teachers' knowledge of mathematics and mathematics teaching."